Word from the Pastor:
Glowing in the Dark
Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.
—Luke 24:39 NRSV
When I get ready to write an article like this, I sometimes like to begin with an image—a work of art or the like, as I did last week with the piece by Haitian artist Jacques-Richard Chery. This week, I was searching for images of the risen Christ when I noticed an interesting phenomenon. Evidently, it’s a thing for artists to depict the risen Jesus as glowing like a lightbulb in the dark. Levels of “glow” vary by artist, but you can try the experiment for yourself. Google “Risen Jesus” or “Jesus Resurrection,” and you’ll be astonished.
I don’t want to suggest that there isn’t a reality to which the artists are pointing, but really, it’s a little over the top. In some ways, it’s a conflation of other stories we have of Jesus. When Jesus is transfigured before his disciples on the mountain, we are told in places like Mark 9:3 that his “clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.” In the empty tomb, Luke tells us in 24:4 two men stood “in dazzling clothes” and spoke to the women, and when Jesus ascends to heaven in Acts 1, verse 10 tells us two messengers in white robes tell the disciples that Jesus has been taken into heaven.
However, facts never stopped popular imagination. We take these images, stir in bits of other ideas (Platonism, for example) about heaven, eternity, and new creation, and suddenly Jesus glows brighter than the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. He glows because we have mistakenly separated or even divorced resurrection/new creation from bodies of flesh and blood. A Jesus who glows in the dark is, ultimately, a Gnostic fantasy.
And it is here that a careful reading of the Scriptural record sets us straight. Take Luke 24:39, for example. Jesus invites the disciples to touch his hands and feet to verify it is the Jesus they have known. He is not a ghost. He doesn’t glow in the dark. He is not a specter. He is his incarnate self, complete with a body, and even a digestive tract, as he shows them a few verses later in vv. 41–43. Still, he is also different. A few verses earlier, Jesus suddenly disappears after breaking bread with two disciples returning from Emmaus (vv.30–31). He suddenly appears among a small gathering of the disciples a little while later in verse 36, as well as in John 20:19.
The point of all this, I suppose, is that far from glowing in the dark, Jesus is raised bodily, but that body is transformed and made new. The wounds that once threatened to rob him of life are still there in his body, but they no longer have the power to rob him of his life. Instead, they now stand as an eternal witness to the faithfulness of the Father in the power of the Spirit.
In a phrase, the doctrine of the resurrection involves both continuity with life as we have known it and radical discontinuity. Our bodies, and a created order filled with bodies, are not destined for the dustbin of history. Instead, just as Christ was raised, we, too, shall be raised bodily, transformed and changed. Again, continuity and discontinuity.
This is really wonderful as well as radical news. It is wonderful because the resurrection signifies that the world, our lives, our relationships, and all that we know about life right now really counts; it all matters, and it is destined for preservation by a faithful Lord. The resurrection is radical because we are also destined to be changed, transformed, and made new. Here, I think, imagination begins to fail us a bit, with Scripture helping here and there.
All in all (1 Cor. 15:28), however, what we are not destined to become is ethereal specters that glow in the dark. Thanks be to God!
In Christ,
Pastor Sam
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Worship
April 11
2nd Sunday of Easter
Lessons
Psalm 16:7–11
Luke 24:13–35
Sermon
Walking with Jesus
Sam Weddington
Holy Week Attendance
Maundy Thursday
In person: 63; Livestream: 15; Playback: 65
Good Friday
In person: 50; Livestream: 15; Playback: 91
Easter Sunday
9:00: In person: 117; Livestream:44; Playback: 134
10:30: In person: 141;
Livestream: 32; Playback: 140
12:00: In person: 75;
Livestream: 8; Playback: 46
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Calendar
All worship services are also livestreamed.
Sunday, April 11
9:00 a.m.
Contemporary Worship
Fellowship Hall
10:10 a.m.
Sunday School
11:00 a.m.
Traditional Worship
Sanctuary
Monday, April 12
7:00 p.m.
Building & Grounds Comm.
Fellowship Hall
Worship Comm.
Zoom
Tuesday, April 13
10:00 a.m.
Staff Meeting
Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, April 14
6:00 p.m.
Handbell Practice
Fellowship Hall
7:00 p.m.
Choir Practice
Sanctuary
Thursday, April 15
7:00 a.m.
Men’s Bible Study
Parlor
4:30 p.m.
Human Resources Comm.
Room 123
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Goldfish for Fairmount Students
We will continue to collect Goldfish, the little cheese crackers, through April for the students of our neighborhood school. Please leave your contributions in the corner of the Fellowship Hallway where the little house usually stands. Thank you!
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Keeping a Hopeful Eye on Pandemic Progress
The session of FPC is asking all of us to continue to wear masks and practice social distancing while in the church and during in-person worship services and Sunday School. We are following the guidance of local sources like Ballad and national resources like the CDC. Although the CDC has changed its guidelines to allow for small, unmasked gatherings for groups where everyone has been vaccinated, this guideline does not address larger gatherings of people, especially where there is singing or uncertain vaccination status. Our session is awaiting more data on vaccination rates and on trends in overall infection rates, especially in our area.
We have great hope for the future. As more of our population is vaccinated and rates trend downward, the closer we come to relaxing restrictions. Please be patient with us, pray for the church, and pray especially that we overcome this terrible virus as a community. We pray that we will soon be able to resume normal gatherings. We encourage you to return to masked and distanced in-person worship when you are comfortable doing so. Meanwhile, please continue to worship with us online.
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Stars Shine on Earth April 25
Grab your tap shoes, dust off that trumpet, teach your old dog new tricks—it's time to prepare for our annual Talent Show! This year we will hold it outside at 4:00 p.m. on April 25. We won’t have a chili cook-off this year, but we will have a barbecue truck from which you can purchase dinner.
Also on April 25, the Children’s Ministries will celebrate Earth Day at 3:00. We will plant some new trees and a butterfly garden! Bring your children and be prepared to get your hands dirty! For more information, contact Lilly Osborne.
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Nailed It for Sunday
Student Fellowship
Taking their cue from the Netflix competitive bake-off series Nailed It, students will compete this Sunday to see who can replicate a professional cake. Each contestant or pair will be given a baked cake, icing, and decorating supplies, and take it from there, working individually or with a partner.
We want to make sure we have supplies for everyone, so register by Friday—that’s tomorrow—if you plan to participate! For more information, contact Katie Arnold.
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April Is the Coolest Month
April is a tossed salad of a month, hiding surprises among the leaves. Days are set aside to observe the grievous, the religiously significant, and the lighthearted, all thrown in willy-nilly. JB Madison’s (April 7–10) slot on the mowing schedule opens solemnly on Holocaust Remembrance Day, and on April 12 our Muslim brothers and sisters enter Ramadan, a month of fasting, introspection, and prayer. From these heights of contemplation, Fred Harkleroad (April 14–17) brings us back to the everyday, for April 14 is International Moment of Laughter Day. (We know! Only a moment?!)
Meanwhile, back at the salad bar, the FPC mowing team welcomes you to help yourself to as much or as little as you care to put on your plate . Bring the kids! They can help by moving debris to the curb so that you can mow. To get a place in line, contact Randy Cook at npolecook@aol.com or 423-956-1541.
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How to Join Us Online
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the livestream of our early worship service and other activities. Just click here and hit “Subscribe.” You will receive notifications of new videos. We also suggest that you connect to us on Facebook. On Facebook, type in “FPC Bristol,” and several accounts will show up. Some are open to the public, while others are restricted. In either case, “Like” the page, or ask to join a group if it is closed.
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Connect & Communicate
Can you make a quick call once a month to approximately eight members of the church, to see how they’re doing and share what’s new at FPC? If so, please let the church office know.
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Give Safely
During the pandemic, we encourage you to use text, mail, or our website for your continued, faithful support of our ministries. You can give online by going to fpcbristol.org and clicking on “Give” in the upper right corner. You can send your pledge, offering, or special gift by texting fpcbristol to 73256. You can also mail your checks directly to First Presbyterian Church, 701 Florida Avenue, Bristol, TN 37620.
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Community Prayer and Home Group Review Friday
Please join Pastor Sam on Friday nights at 7:00 for community prayer and a brief offering of the Home Group curriculum. Our emphasis will be Scripture reading and prayer, but there will be time for conversations as we grow in faith together.
Topic: FPC Community Prayer
Time: April 9, 7:00 p.m.
Meeting ID: 826 4875 1043
One-tap mobile:
+13017158592,,82648751043# US (Washington, D.C.)
+13126266799,,82648751043# US (Chicago)
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Join a Home Group
Have you joined an FPC Home Group? These groups allow us to continue weekly fellowship and Bible study while staying safe during the pandemic. A Home Group is an in-home or online gathering of friends, neighbors, or one or more families. Each week, FPC gives every group an intergenerational Bible study, and the Sunday sermon reflects on its theme.
If you’re not already in a Home Group, go to the webpage, register yourself or start a group, and let us know. If you have questions, please reach out to Dave Welch, Katie Arnold, or Lilly Osborne for answers. Meanwhile, watch for Home Groups updates in Windows and on the FPC Bristol webpage.
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Gifts to the Church
Memorials and honoraria are published in the newsletter only after the family has been personally notified by our business office. Today we gratefully acknowledge gifts in memory of:
David Akard Jr.: to the Minister’s Discretionary Education Fund from Harold Rutherford
Buddy Eller: to the Memorial Fund from Harold Rutherford
Ron Grubbs: to the Minister’s Discretionary Education Fund from Harold Rutherford
Gene Haskins: to the Memorial Fund from Harold Rutherford
Vivian Hill: to the Christian Hands Ministry Fund from Harold Rutherford
Harry Hillery (brother of Porter Hillery): to the Memorial Fund from Harold Rutherford
Dutch Keyser (brother-in-law of Al Thomas): to the Memorial Fund from Harold Rutherford
Bill McRee: to the Memorial Fund from Harold Rutherford
Bob & Betty Millard: to the Memorial Fund from Harold Rutherford
Charlie Moore: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Harold Rutherford
Sue O' Dell (sister of Bob O’ Dell): to the Memorial Fund from Harold Rutherford
Peggy Peters (sister of Dee Eldreth): to the Memorial Fund from Harold Rutherford
Chuck Thompson: to the Student Ministries & Brazil Mission funds from Harold Rutherford
Alec Turnbull: to the Memorial Fund from Harold Rutherford
Kitty Vann (sister-in-law of John & Karen Vann): to the Memorial Fund from Harold Rutherford
Laura Ann Warner: to the Memorial Fund from Harold Rutherford
Jim Wiseman: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Shirley Booker, from Harold Rutherford
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Organist’s Footnotes
All pieces for Sunday are based on the chorale tune “Gelobt sei Gott,” composed by Melchior Vulpius (c. 1570–1615). Born into a poor family named Fuchs, he had few educational opportunities and did not attend university. He taught Latin in the school in Schleusingen, where he Latinized his surname, and from 1596 until his death served as a Lutheran cantor and teacher in Weimar. A distinguished composer, Vulpius wrote a St. Matthew Passion (1613), nearly 200 motets in German and Latin, and more than 400 hymn tunes, many of which became popular in Lutheran churches and some of which introduced the lively Italian balletto rhythms into the German hymn tunes.
Most arrangements of this upbeat tune are short enough that we can hear three of them during our five-minute prelude time. The first of these is by Healey Willan (1880–1968), who was born and raised in England and immigrated to Canada in 1913. He taught at the University of Toronto and was Precentor of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene for many years.
The second is barely a minute in duration. It was composed by John Leavitt (pictured; b. 1956) who, among his many other accomplishments, is the former Director of Parish Music at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas.
The third prelude piece is by Gilbert M. Martin (b. 1941), whose music and lyrics are well-established with America's leading publishing houses. A native of Southbridge, Massachusetts, Martin today lives quietly in the Dayton area, where he is often given the opportunity to teach, cajole, and conduct numerous musical ensembles throughout the country, and he remains an active composer in the choral, piano, and organ genres.
The offertory is by Flor Peeters (1903–1986), a Belgian composer, organist, and academic teacher. He was director of the Conservatorium in Antwerp and, from 1923 until his death in 1986, organist at Mechelen Cathedral.
The postlude is by Alfred V. Fedak (b. 1953), who is widely known as a composer of church music, with more than 300 choral and organ works in print, and numerous hymn tunes in hymnals throughout the English-speaking world and Asia. Since 1990 Fedak has worked as Minister of Music and Arts at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Capitol Hill in Albany, New York.
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Birthday Prayer Fellowship
April 11 Virginia McRee
April 13 George McClellan, Spencer Pruner
April 14 Wes Buckles, Wade Witcher
April 15 Rett Miller
April 16 Adam Abel, Joel Kreiss, Rush Powers
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Deadline & Subscriptions
Monday is the deadline for contributions to Windows. S ubscribe to our free e-newsletter, by sending your name and preferred email address to the editor.
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In Our Prayers
Please also include in your prayers the members of our community who wish to remain anonymous.
Adam
Families of Atlanta murder victims
Kathryn Benton
Bristol Tennessee City Schools
Becky Busler
Mike Cleland
Nicole Crockett
Randi Edwards
Sara & Sam Ferguson
Garrett Foster & family
DeeDee Galliher
Deborah Garritson
John Graham Sr.
Emma & Gina Grubbs
Sandra Grubbs
Lou Hebb
Davan & Kristi Johnson
Marty & Kara Keys
Kidnap victims in Kaduna & Niger states
Morgan & Josh King & family
Nancy Lilly
Dot Mattison
Roger McCracken
Kathy McGlothlin & mother
Alice Moore
Breanna Necessary
Martha North
Amy & Justin Pannell
Jodi & Kreg Ramey
Jack Richardson
Harold Rutherford
Brittany Salter
Julie Schureck
Conley & Brendon Smith
Family of Logan Smith
Jerry Swamsidi & family
Jim Swartchick
Tseng family
Bill & Margaret Wade
Sarah Wade & coworkers
Amy & Doug Williams
Young Life
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701 Florida Avenue | Bristol, TN 37620 | 423-764-7176 | fpcbristol.org
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